Garden State Film Festival Presents The John R. Elliot HERO Campaign For Designated Drivers

The 17th Annual Garden State Film Festival (GSFF), is proud to announce that the John R. Elliot HERO Campaign for Designated Drivers is their 2019 Broader Vision Award recipient. Each year, GSFF proudly recognizes a deserving organization for filmmaking dedicated to the greater good. The HERO Video Network produces and showcases videos honoring victims of drunk driving tragedies, videos made by high school students to promote the use of designated drivers, commercials and news and event videos. As part of an exciting student-initiative, the Campaign works with high school students across the state, asking them to develop ideas, create and then submit public-service announcement videos that promote being a designated driver. The videos are then uploaded to social media and the HERO Campaign student website. The HERO Campaign will be honored at a black-tie-optional Awards Banquet at The Berkeley Oceanfront Hotel in Asbury Park on Sunday, March 31st.

The John R. Elliott HERO Campaign for Designated Drivers is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization dedicated to preventing drunk driving deaths and injuries by promoting the use of responsible designated drivers. The HERO Campaign was established by the family of Navy Ensign John R. Elliott of Egg Harbor Township, NJ, who was killed in a head-on collision with a drunk driver in July, 2000, two months after graduating from the United States Naval Academy. The organization's headquarters are located at Stockton University.

The Campaign is saving lives throughout New Jersey and surrounding states in partnership with law enforcement; schools and colleges; federal and state highway safety organizations; the licensed beverage industry; and professional sports teams including the Philadelphia Phillies, the New York Football Giants, the New England Patriots, and Keeneland Race Course in Kentucky.

Since 2000, the HERO Campaign, has grown into a major movement, receiving numerous state and national awards. A Stockton University poll in southern New Jersey found that over 40 percent of those polled said they had served as designated drivers due to the campaign, which has contributed to a 20 percent reduction in alcohol-related fatalities and incidents in the state over the past decade.

To learn more about the John R. Elliot HERO Campaign and the Programs mentioned above, please visit HEROcampaign.org, the sites below and/or call 609.626.3880.

Now in its 17th year, the Garden State Film Festival, is New Jersey's premier independent film festival and was founded to promote the art of film making on all levels by showcasing a wide variety of film, video and animated works, as well as provide educational programs in the creative arts to the public by industry leaders.

GSFF accepts film submissions of all genres from documentaries, animation, children's, narrative, trailers, Web Series/ New Media, and short films, as well as music videos, commercials, trailers, music competition, and student projects.

Each year, GSFF attracts record crowds and many big names within the industry, including the festival's biggest supporter, Ed Asner, hundreds of industry professionals, actors, producers, financiers, sponsors, fans as well as an active global community of filmmakers, producers, composers and actors. In 2018, the festival featured over 246 films from 22 countries, an open talent casting call, panel discussions, and opening and closing ceremonies with multiple appearances by celebrities and honorees.